The Real Ambassadors features Louis Armstrong's first and only recorded collaborations with Dave Brubeck, singer Carmen McRae, and the vocal trio of Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross. The Real Ambassadorsproject, which delivered a strong political message condemning racism, was an original Broadway play written and composed by Brubeck and his wife Iola.

The Real Ambassadors is a jazz musical developed in the late 1950's and early 1960's by Dave Brubeck and Lola Brubeck in collaboration withLouis Armstrong and his band. It addressed the Civil Rights Movement, the music business, America's place in the world during theCold War, the nature of God, and other themes.

It was set in a fictional African nation called Talgalla, and its central character was based on Louis Armstrong and his time as a jazz ambassador for the US State Department.It was the first major large scale musical collaboration between Dave and Iola Brubeck and served as a template for their future musical collaborations. Songs from the musical were recorded by Columbia Records and a soundtrack album was released in 1962, just before the show's premiere at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival with an all-star cast.

Track-listing

Disc 1

Side 1